


Foreign Exchange

by Merfilly



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-05
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-20 00:27:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2408450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dinah, rather than obediently going to Star City with her mother, gets a foreign exchange slot instead.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Foreign Exchange

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Author376](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Author376/gifts).



Losing Daddy had hurt enough. But having Mom decide they were going to up and leave the East Coast, move west, and start all over? Dinah was sure she would go absolutely off kilter if she went with that. She was angry enough at her mother, both for constantly telling her she couldn't be Black Canary and for it being her fault Daddy died, that if she was somewhere completely new with only Mom, she was afraid of what she might do.

So before Mom could withdraw her from school she went to her guidance counselor and applied for the student exchange program to Germany. Europe would be just as strange and new, but it also would not have her mother there.

* * *

"I actually figured I would be staying with a family that spoke German," Dinah said as she settled in at Adeline Kane's table.

"And we will, after your first day of getting settled in," Addie told her, giving Joseph a patient look of 'behave'. "My other son is at prep school currently, but he will rejoin us for the holidays. Unless you intend to fly back for those?"

Dinah shook her head in a vigorous denial. "Unless it is an inconvenience to you, Miss Addie, I'd prefer to stay."

"Then you shall."

* * *

Dinah found Miss Addie to be a busy woman, one who gave her a curfew to be in the house or to have phoned with a location. That suited Dinah just fine; she had to scout out Frankfort, make contacts, and the like before she started testing herself against the criminal element here.

Not only did they speak German in the home and in public, but Dinah was getting to learn the sign languages that Joey knew. He was careful to tell her the differences, and Dinah appreciated being able to add silent languages to her repertoire. Her daddy had taught her that sometimes knowing a few words could mean the break you needed in a case.

Three weeks into Dinah's stay, Addie learned that the athletic young woman was a trained fighter -- when Dinah apprehended and stopped one of her better operatives from getting to her inside the house. Searchers demanded the best of its operatives, and Addie now found one of them face down in an arm-bar hold from a girl half the operative's size.

"He was acting sneaky," Dinah said, refusing to apologize once the man had delivered his information and been sent on. 

"They are not supposed to inconvenience Joey when they come here. However, it was a very informative incident," Addie said shrewdly. "Your application mentioned sports, music, and a focus on criminal investigation, Dinah. Not mastery of the martial arts."

"I'm not a master; I am a student of them," Dinah hastily corrected, shaking her head. 

Addie arched an eyebrow, but accepted that, for now. "And are you a student of other things?"

"I just want to live up to the legacy I inherited," Dinah told her, knowing her father's career as a police officer was on her paperwork.

Somehow, she didn't think Miss Addie was buying that as the whole story.

* * *

Maybe it was due to her prowess, but Dinah found herself allowed to take Joey out after that night, treating the young boy to afternoon excursions when Addie couldn't. The girl found a lot of her anger vanishing under the influence of the gentle boy, and quickly came to look on him almost like the brother she'd never had.

Maybe it was because Dinah was feeling responsible for Joey, or maybe it was just the cop instincts her dad had been honing before his death, but she noticed that she sometimes felt eyes on her when he was with her. It made her wary, but she didn't want to alarm Miss Addie. Instead, she became a little more vigilant about noticing people around her.

* * *

"I am so sorry, but I can't find my money now," Dinah was telling the clerk after patting through all of her pockets. "I swear I had it—"

"Here, let me," a deep voice in slightly accented German said, reaching past with a bill large enough to cover the purchase. Dinah had noted him when she came in, and knew someone had gotten in line behind her. He was tall, taller than her father, and had white hair, though his face didn't seem to match the hair. He also had an eye-patch, giving him a slightly rakish look. Dinah shook her head, but the clerk was already taking the money. "You can pay it forward to someone, someday, kid," he told her.

"Thank you, then, and I will."

She took in other little details about him, like how fit he seemed to be, and the stance he stood in. When she took her things and left, her brain was buzzing about something she could not quite put her finger on. It just seemed like it was too convenient, and her Gotham roots made her distrust that.

* * *

"Miss Addie," Dinah began, having slipped inside the woman's home office. "I hate to bother you, but is there anyone in specific that might mean you or Joey harm?"

"A number, in regards to myself, and through Joey would be the easiest way," Addie replied, but all of her senses went hyper-alert.

"Big guy, wearing an eye patch?"

The explosion from her normally reserved hostess left Dinah happy to learn that many new curses in German, as she filed them away for study, and extremely concerned for the family she was staying with.

Finally, Addie settled and looked at her guest clear-eyed and ready to work. "Deliver a message for me, Dinah, to my very much ex-husband?"

"I can do that."

* * *

She knew the big man had been aware of her trying to pick up his trail. She even knew he wasn't really trying to throw her off, just making her work to catch up.

"So, your ex-wife? Not really happy with you."

"Didn't expect her to be," the big man drawled. "Shame, though, bringing her in the middle of this."

Dinah matched gazes with Slade Wilson across the short distance between them. "I'm young; I'm not stupid."

His unimpressed face made Dinah wonder if Addie was right, that she was in no danger from Slade.

"I have a right to see my sons. All I wanted was a way to alleviate the stress on my wife," Slade finally answered.

"Not through me, mister. I'm Ms. Kane's guest and she trusts me to keep her son safe from all perceived threats," Dinah said. She wondered what the story was, what the truth of it was, though. Kids needed their dads, in her opinion.

Slade looked at her with a long, hard appraisal. "I'll hold you to that, Dinah Lance."

She didn't much care for him knowing her name, but then he was turning away to leave. That, more than anything else, told her there was more to the story than a bitter divorce. However, it just meant she would watch out even more for Joey for the rest of her year here.


End file.
